There was a major development in the Jimmy Butler trade talks after the Miami Heat suspended the disgruntled star indefinitely — and for the third time this month — for walking out of their shootaround on Monday, Jan. 27.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Heat have dropped their asking price with the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline just more than a week away.
“Well, the Heat are really are trying to move him,” Windhorst said on ESPN SportsCenter later on Monday. “I think there might be a perception out there, because it seems like it’s gone on for weeks, that they’re not, but they are from the sources I’ve been talking to for the last really, 48 hours, but definitely tonight, the heats price has dropped. They are willing to do more than they were when this all started last month. The Heat are trying to get this done.”
The Heat have talked to multiple teams, per ESPN’s Shams Charania, but so far have not found a trade to their liking.
Butler’s walkout upon learning the Heat’s plan to move him to the bench and his subsequent indefinite suspension could fast-track his departure from Miami.
What The Heat Want
A Miami Herald report on Monday said the Heat are “determined not to take back sizable contracts that run past next season” unless they are “compensated with a draft pick or two.”
The report also added they want players “who can help them make the playoffs this season” due to the lottery-protected picks they owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Charlotte Hornets in previous dealings.
If the Heat fails to qualify for the playoffs this season, their lottery-protected first-round pick owed to the Thunder will become an unprotected pick in 2026. And due to the Stepien Rule, the 2027 lottery-protected pick they owed the Hornets will turn into an unprotected first-round pick in the 2028 NBA Draft.
Surprise Team Could Trade For Jimmy Butler
Butler wanted to go to the Phoenix Suns because the team’s owner, “Mat Ishbia is believed to be as willing to sign the 35-year-old to a lucrative new contract as anyone you’ll find,” veteran NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Substack on Jan. 5.
But the problem is, Bradley Beal, the only trade chip of the Suns who can match Butler’s salary, is unwilling to waive his no-trade clause.
“I am not saying this is for sure going to happen. I am not predicting what’s going to happen, but I do think some teams that thought they were out of this are coming back in because it doesn’t look like the Suns and Heat are going to be able to consummate a deal,” Windhorst said.
The ESPN senior NBA reporter sees Butler ending up with another team, not the Suns.
“I think we might see a team swoop in here and get Jimmy Butler at a cheap price, a guy who can be the best player in a playoff series at a bargain price,” Windhorst continued. “And I think that’s the phase of this where we’re at.
“And so a team, if a team pulls that off, and I’m not going to tell you the teams that are trying because I just can’t wade into those waters. This could be a trade that affects the outcome of this season.”
